ACC to Revise Tiebreaker Rules in 2026 After Duke’s Surprise Appearance in Conference Title

The league’s tiebreaker rules allowed 7–5 Duke to reach the ACC title this season.

Duke won the ACC title and nearly cost the conference a chance in the College Football Playoff. The league is doing something about it this offseason. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2026 conference opponents for each member institution on Tuesday afternoon, and buried in that release was an important piece of news.

“The ACC Tiebreaker Policy will be updated and announced ahead of the 2026 season,” the release said.

There are no details yet on what the new tiebreaker rules will be in the ACC next season, but a change coming to the rules is hardly a surprise.

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Duke won the ACC championship earlier this month, capping off an 8–5 campaign that included a 6–2 mark in conference play. The Blue Devils won a five-way tiebreak over Miami, Georgia Tech, SMU and Pitt. Due to the lack of common opponents for the five teams involved in the tie for second-place in the ACC, the fifth tiebreaker came into play, which spotlighted the combined win percentage of conference opponents. Duke’s eight ACC opponents went 32–32 (.500), which won the Blue Devils the tiebreak and sent the program to Charlotte to contend for the ACC title against Virginia.

Duke, of course, won that game over then-ranked No. 17 Virginia. The victory knocked the Cavaliers out of the College Football Playoff and nearly knocked the ACC out of CFP consideration. Duke was not among the five highest-ranked conference champions, so the Blue Devils did not receive an automatic bid to the CFP despite winning the ACC. It took Miami’s at-large berth for the ACC to ensure a representative in the playoff.

The disastrous scenario that unfolded and nearly left the ACC out of the playoff was enough for the league to already decide to change the tiebreaker rules. What those changes entail remains to be seen heading into 2026.

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